Evangelical Right: Rapture-Ready Evangelicals In Favor Of Preemptive Strike On Iran

recently released prequel to Left Behind

As conflicts continue to multiply in the Middle East, Rapture-Ready evangelicals have begun to sound the Armageddon alarm. Many evangelicals, such as John Hagee, are beginning to lobby Capital Hill in favor of a preemptive strike on Iran. You know, since that worked so well in Iraq. The resident "prophet" on the Left Behind website, Joel Rosenberg, doesn't mince words about his stance on attacking Iran. The Jesusy neocon "prophesizes" that Iran is possibly planning an attack on August 22, implying that the United States needs to thwart this alleged attack militarily, before it transpires. [From the Left Behind website article: "Apocalypse Now? Is Iran planning an August 22 attack against Israel and/or the U.S.?"]

How much time do we have to pursue a diplomatic track with Iran? At what point do we have to conclude that negotiations are going nowhere? Are we prepared to live with a nuclear-armed Iran? If so, how? Why? If not, what is the President prepared to do to protect Americans and our allies from an Iranian nuclear-strike, or nuclear blackmail? [...]

In his famous "axis of evil" speech on January 29, 2002, President Bush made the following case: "We will work closely with our coalition to deny terrorists and their state sponsors the materials, technology, and expertise to make and deliver weapons of mass destruction. We will develop and deploy effective missile defenses to protect America and our allies from sudden attack. And all nations should know: America will do what is necessary to ensure our nation's security. We'll be deliberate, yet time is not on our side. I will not wait on events, while dangers gather. I will not stand by, as peril draws closer and closer. The United States of America will not permit the world's most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world's most destructive weapons."

Today, the country is deeply divided over whether using military force in Iraq was the right thing to do. But the Iranian nuclear threat is now far worse than the Iraqi threat of having or obtaining weapons of mass destruction was then. President Bush has a decision to make and precious little time to make it. For let's be clear: should Iran go nuclear on this President's watch, all the gains made to date in the War on Terror will be wiped out overnight. That is neither a legacy this President wants, nor this nation can afford.

Of course, this wouldn't be so troublesome, if people such as the Left Behind author Tim LaHaye and his cohorts were lacking influence. Not only have LaHaye's Left Behind books sold millions, he's also an influential political insider. And with Condi speaking in Armageddon code language and John Hagee lobbying for increased military support on Capitol Hill, who knows how much influence biblical "prophecy" is having on our Middle East policy. God help us.